1858 Swiss elections

The 1858 Swiss elections took place from 1 January to 1 July 1858, when voters in Switzerland elected a new government and president. For the first time in Swiss history, the liberal Free Party of Switzerland would form the basis of the government, forming a coalition with the Radical Party of Switzerland to narrowly defeat the conservative and reactionary parties with 51.35% of the vote. This was the first time that the conservative bloc was defeated, but it would still have enough strength in parliament to block any reform attempts made by the liberals. This was also the last time that two blocs took part in the election; in the next election, the Socialist Party of Switzerland ran its own candidates.

Results

 * Liberal dot.png Free Party of Switzerland - 41.18%
 * Reactionary dot.png Conservative Party of Switzerland - 9.45%
 * Conservative dot.png Catholic Conservative Party of Switzerland - 19.60%
 * Anarcho-liberal dot.png Radical Party of Switzerland - 10.17%
 * Conservative dot.png Protestant Conservative Party of Switzerland - 19.60%